UMBC coach Don Zimmerman is taking nothing for granted ? even withhis team riding a school-record nine-game winning streak.
The Retrievers (10-3) have a great chance of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will announce its 16-team field on Sunday. But Zimmerman, however, said all of his attention is squarely on preparing his team to face Binghamton (4-7) tonight at 7:30 in the semifinals of the America East Tournament at UMBC Stadium.
UMBC (5-0 America East) can clinch an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament by winning tonight and defeating the winner of Albany (7-7, 4-1) and Stony Brook (7-6, 3-2), which meet this afternoon at 4 at UMBC Stadium. The final is Saturday night at 7:30 at UMBC Stadium.
“All of our concentration has to be on Binghamton,” Zimmerman said. “If we don?t win that game, then we don?t need to worry about the finals.”
But what happens in Catonsville is just one piece of the NCAA Tournament puzzle, as there are six more automatic bids available. No. 16 Loyola (7-5) and Colgate already clinched postseason berths by winning the Eastern College Athletic Conference and Patriot League titles, and automatic bids will go to the winners of the Colonial Athletic Association, Ivy League, Great Western Lacrosse League and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
That leaves nine spots for at-large berths. The local teams hoping to hear their names called on Sunday are: No. 18 Navy (9-5), No. 8 Maryland (8-5) and No. 5 Johns Hopkins (7-5), an independent team, which closes out its regular season at Loyola on Saturday.
John Hopkins has won four straight after losing a school-worst five in a row, and Loyola is coming off a 10-6 upset loss at Hobart.
Blue Jays senior midfielder Stephen Peyser said he knows his team is in great position to get back to the NCAA Tournament for a 37th straight year, but also understands nothing is certain ? even if it defeats Loyola handily. Peyser has 16 goals and five assists and has won 97-of-167 faceoffs for the Blue Jays, who are coming off a dominating, 12-1 victory over Mount St. Mary?s on Monday.
“This has been a crazy lacrosse season for everybody,” Peyser said. “Parity is definitely all over the game today as there are more serious lacrosse programs than ever before. We don?t want to leave our future in someone else?s hands. We?re going into Saturday?s game against Loyola like it?s the biggest game of the year and that?s the same approach be took against Towson and Mount St Mary?s.”
